Navigating Anxiety
Shortness of breath.
Heart pounding.
Mind reeling.
Shaking.
Stomach in knots.
Inability to focus.
Feeling Jumpy.
Lashing out, saying things you’ll have to apologize for.
Leaving the social engagement in the middle, suddenly.
Taking a short break or even a sick day from work.
Inability to get a grip.
Metaphorically feeling like you are falling and no one will catch you.
Welcome to anxiety.
If you have it, you are not alone.
Some 18,000,000 Americans have it.
It can range from light jitters now and then to sudden massive
panic attacks that require medical attention and render the person incapable of functioning for a few days. The causes are numerous, ranging from a minor chemical imbalance to
post traumatic stress from a traumatizing event in the person’s life.
It can even just be the result of spending a lot of time around people who worry incessantly.
Whatever the root of the problem,
The actual anxiety attack is usually the result of a feeling
of loss of control in a situation.
Maybe a trapped feeling.
There is good news for anxiety sufferers:
God is in control.
We don’t need to be in control when our creator,
The one and only, who knew us before we were born
And knows the future,
Has the situation in His hands.
Of course, when you are in the middle of freaking out
It may seem like God and all his control
Are thousands of light years away and you are completely alone.
That is where I can offer some encouragement that has helped me,
An experienced anxiety sufferer,
Cope.
There are two ways to manage this awful dilemma:
Biblical reinforcement
and medical reinforcement.
I will break it all down for you.
Like addictions and physical ailments, the first step
To recovery is acknowledging that you have a problem.
And like the addictions,
It is also taking responsibility for your actions
instead of blaming someone else.
Even if someone is actually doing harmful things to cause your anxiety,
it is in your hands to seek help in managing how you react.
With or without being certain of your problem,
The most crucial thing to do is pray.
Pray for clarity.
Pray for strength.
Pray for calm.
Pray for answers.
Seek friends and family and pastors to pray with you.
The next step is to breathe.
Sit down in a calming place if you can,
And close your eyes.
Inhale for five seconds through your nose.
Hold it for five more seconds.
Exhale gently and slowly for five seconds from your mouth.
Repeat.
The unusually concentrated influx of oxygen has a calming effect.
It can loosen up muscles and slow your heart beat.
Identify your triggers.
Take notice of when you start panicking.
What is happening right before that?
Does someone say a certain thing?
Was there a loud noise?
Are you presented with a scary prospect-
Like being abandoned or being without something you need?
Triggers can be numerous and are not limited to certain things.
It is important to know what situations and conversations and people
Make you start on a thought process that leads to this panicky feeling.
Even if you can’t always avoid them,
You will know when it is probably coming and you can be more prepared.
Get help and get healthy.
Don’t be ashamed to ask for help.
There are counselors and pastors,
Psychologists and psychiatrists,
Support groups and forums.
You don’t have to go it alone.
But before you seek pharmaceutical drugs to manage it,
There are some more holistic options that you can try at home.
What can I take?
· Magnesium- the supplement comes in pill form or as a beverage called “calm” and can be found at most any vitamin store, drug store or other store where supplements are sold. It has a calming effect and relaxes muscles that are tense.
· Vitamin B- The different types of this vitamin (6, 12, etc) have positive effects on the nervous system. Like many vitamins, the average American is deficient in them.
· GABA- an essential amino acid that can act as an anti-anxiety supplement.
· Passion flower- dried out and ground into a tea, it can remedy feelings of anxiety. It can also cause a bit of drowsiness.
· Valerian- an herbal supplement, it helps the brain get its GABA. It can help with sleep as well.
· Melatonin- A natural sleep aide that can be taken in the event that anxious feelings are keeping the person awake. It is never good to take sleep aides long term, but it is a more natural option than Tylenol PM.
What can I do?
· Exercise can promote better mental health.Exercise promotes better health in many ways, but plenty of stretching and cardiovascular involvement can help loosen up tight muscles, get you breathing more deeply, change your heart rate and most of all boost endorphins which make you feel happier. It can also wear you out physically so you can sleep better.
· Sleeping well can promote better health. Getting a solid 7 or 8 hours without interruptions can put your mind in a more restful state and give it back the energy it needs to handle issues that arise during the day.
· Cutting out dietary triggers is essential. Every heard of a sugar rush? How about a caffeine high? Those may be helpful once in awhile, but long term they can do damage. If the root of your anxiety is a chemical imbalance, consuming large amounts of caffeiene, sugar, alcohol (which is fast sugar) or medications that affect mood could worsen the problem. Caffeine and sugar can hinder proper sleep.
Talk to “trigger people”
If there are people who seem to frequently stress you out with their words or actions,
It is important to talk to them if they will listen.
If they are family and friends or even coworkers,
they will hopefully be receptive to your request.
· Tell the person the things that trigger your panic attacks
· Let them know politely and civilly that they do some of those things
· Let them know that you care about them and want a healthy relationship with them, so this is important.
· Give them suggestions for other things they can do that will not upset you.
Example: If your best friend frequently invites you out to social events that carry on late into the night, and your feeling pressured not to let them down is conflicting with your need to stay home and rest, be honest with them and tell them that. Then offer them some ideas for activities you can do earlier in the evening that you would be comfortable with.
Learn to say “no”. One major cause of anxiety that I’ve experienced (and I know others have too) is the feeling of being overly obligated and tugged in every direction. This happens when you don’t want to let people down or seem too selfish, so you agree to too much. The more things you get asked to do, the more of your nights and weekends wind up being occupied by something. Soon, you are either working or you are doing something for someone else like setting up an event or entertaining. When there is no time to take an evening to be alone with God and free to do what you need to do, an over all feeling of exhaustion, known as “burning out” can occur. Once that happens, it is easy for more things to trigger a stress reaction more frequently. Being honest and saying “no” is the difference between getting the mental break you need to stay sane and winding up too overwhelmed to function. “No, I’m sorry, but I am doing something every other night this week. Tonight is for myself.” Those words will make you sad at first, as you feel like you are letting someone down, but then the words will set you free. Giving yourself back the time you need to rest will preserve your sanity.
I saved the best for last.
Crack open the life instruction manual.
God’s word is full of reassurance and comfort. Read it, absorb what it has to say, and read it again. Here are some of the best verses for anxiety:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Of course the bible has much more to say on this topic than just these verses. But I can’t do all the homework for you. You have to dig in and find God’s message to you. Worry and fear don’t come from him, but the solutions do.
Take a deep breath. It’s going to be alright.
*Once again, my opinion isn't a substitute for proper counseling and medical attention.
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